Rutgers’ trip to Boston College had the same painful shape as its opener: a promising second-half surge, but too much damage done early to finish the job. The Scarlet Knights fell 28-21 on the road after digging themselves into a 20-7 halftime hole, then watching a chance to flip the game slip away in the fourth quarter.
The early miscues were costly. Rutgers didn’t get on the board until it was already down 17 points, and the first half ended with Boston College ahead by 13.
The Knights did make it interesting after the break, cutting the margin to six in the third quarter. But then came the backbreaker - a blown coverage that turned into a 78-yard touchdown pass, followed by a two-point conversion for the Eagles.
That pushed Rutgers back into a two-touchdown deficit, and despite multiple chances to answer, it never got all the way back.
Quarterback AJ Surace had a rough first start in a Rutgers uniform, finishing 18 of 27 for three touchdowns and four interceptions. Boston College’s Mason McKenzie gave Rutgers problems in another way, completing 18 of 29 passes for 252 yards, one touchdown and one interception while also running for 94 yards and a score on 13 carries.
Rutgers did get a strong day from Antwan Raymond, who bounced back with 134 yards on 27 carries. Clay Thevenin added 36 yards on seven attempts. For Boston College, Evan Dickens had 56 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
The offensive line didn’t give Surace much help. Rutgers allowed three sacks and five total tackles for loss, and the pressure coming from the other side wasn’t enough to balance things out. The Scarlet Knights managed just one sack and three tackles for loss defensively.
Turnovers and stalled drives told a big part of the story. Rutgers went 4 of 12 on third down, 2 of 5 on fourth down, and finished with four turnovers. Boston College wasn’t sharp on every series either, going 4 of 12 on third down and giving it away three times, but the Eagles did enough to stay in control.
There were a couple of bright spots in the loss. Linebacker Moses Walker came away with two interceptions, one sack and four total tackles. KJ Duff continued to be a major weapon, catching eight passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns despite the shaky quarterback play around him.
Now Rutgers turns to a much tougher assignment. After losing two games that many expected it to win, the Scarlet Knights will open Big Ten play next week at home against No.
14 USC. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
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That matters for Rutgers because the Scarlet Knights are among the first Big Ten opponents coming up on USCs schedule, along with Oregon. Riley sounded confident the Trojans will sharpen up, but the early evidence gave Rutgers at least one area to circle: a defense that was vulnerable against a team that could move the ball and create pressure on the ground. For a Rutgers offense looking for an opening, that is the kind of weakness worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]